Good morning! As you may have seen earlier this week on the blog, I featured the most breathtaking nursery and pregnancy story by a great friend of mine, business owner, and soon-to-be Mom, Caitlin Tirro of Tirro Photography. After tremendous feedback from her handmade and beautifully designed nursery for her baby, Alaina, and in honor of Mother's Day this weekend, I've asked Caitlin to come back on the blog today and give her top 5 tips to keep in mind when designing a nursery from scratch:

"Hello, everyone! When we found out we were having a baby girl, there was the huge, lingering question of how we would decorate the room. Here’s what we did:

1) Refurbish

Surprise! Baby’s aren't cheap. And furnishing a baby room can really break the bank.We decided to look for gently used solid wood dressers and nightstands that could be refurbished. This wasn't exactly cheaper than buying brand new because we paid someone to refurbish the pieces we found, but if you have the tools and know-how, refurbishing yourself is not only so much cheaper, (I’m talking hundreds cheaper), but also gets you exactly the look you want! So in short, you don’t have to buy everything new. As long as it’s clean, safe, and in good working condition, you can refurbish and should..

2) Pick your color theme and furnitureJust because we were having a little girl didn’t mean I wanted the room to vomit pink. I wanted it to feel relaxing, inviting, soft, and mature; after all, we’d be spending long hours in her room the first year. I’ve always loved eclectic, shabby chic type rooms and thought I’d give it a try. I did a lot of Pinterest searching and found looks my husband and I both loved to serve as inspiration. We first decided on a color pallet, (ALWAYS start by picking your colors, preferably 3; two main colors, and once accent), and then I looked for pieces I knew I wanted in her room. I knew that I needed a dresser, nightstand, crib, chair, rug, and a few decorative pieces. I hate clutter, so I made a list of what I needed to ensure I wouldn’t overbuy, (i.e. you don’t need a separate changing table, a dresser works just as well and saves you money). They market a lot of “nice-to-haves” in the baby stores, but this is usually costly and unnecessary, so seek out friends with kids and asked them what they actually used, and buy just those items. Once we knew what colors and pieces we needed, the search for baby room items began. Don’t limit yourself to Babies R Us or Target. Go to craft stores or vintage shops, you can find some timeless and beautiful pieces.

3﻿) Decorate with a purposeIt was very important to me that we not spend money aimlessly on decorative pieces that served no other purpose than being pretty. Sure pretty is nice, but I wanted at least some of the items to be functional as well. I felt like I would really be getting my money’s worth if I could accomplish this. The cupboard we have hanging above the dresser is one of my favorite pieces.Not only is it pretty but it stores all of our baby first aid and diaper changing items. On the dresser is a clear glass bowl that is storing all our pacifiers, and also on the dresser is a pretty refurbished candlestick holder that now holds some of Alaina’s headbands.

4) Get creativeIf you know someone who is crafty, enlist their help. This is not only typically cheaper, (or even free if they gift the item to you in lieu of a baby shower gift), but it is now a sentimental one-of-a-kind piece for your baby’s room. Many of the decorative items in Alaina’s room were made by myself, my parents, and my in-laws to include the wreath, the canvas paintings, the floral “A”, and the headband holder. I just love looking at these pieces knowing there is a story behind each one.

5) An Ageless roomI really wanted to ensure that her room could be something she could grow in to. I didn’t want to spend all this money on baby themed decorations just to box it up and put into storage once she out grew the theme or decided she didn’t like Winnie the Pooh, for example. I wanted her room to be something she could be a baby in, or be an 18 year old in. Her crib converts to a full sized bed, so she will have this bed until she moves out.There are of course some things in her room that are for a baby, but my goal was to have it be a room that aged right along with Alaina.This is a huge money saver down the road, and a look I personally prefer over baby themed rooms."

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